Tips for adopting and managing various cloud computing services
Friday, September 30, 2011 5:32:23 PM
While many view the relative immaturity and loose management knowledge of cloud computing as an impediment to adoption of the technology, some experts assert these drawbacks make the cloud a more amiable service. Tech Target recently published an article explaining that the general lack of standards for the cloud gives businesses an opportunity to shape and mold the technology to their preferences.
The website asserts the technology is, in many ways, well regulated by the providers themselves, citing that most cloud vendors offer a management system to enterprises adopting one of the services. Additionally, the source asserts that these individual management systems are the only things businesses need when using only one cloud service provider.
Software-as-a-Service allows businesses to completely outsource application building and management, while the actual infrastructure remains unseen by the user. The website notes that this does give the provider full rights to applications, as it can reserve the power to use the application in other venues, as well as choose how and where data is stored.
However, with SaaS, the website believes it would be unnecessary to have management standards across the industry, as the provider is almost entirely interested in creating the most reliable and affective software to drive its own sales and credibility.
Platform-as-a-Service, on the other hand, may require a more active role on behalf of the user, as application development and management would require extra steps to run on new, cloud-based platforms. The source notes that management standards would be necessary with PaaS, as the PaaS application acts as the data center.
Tech Target asserts that management standards are more necessary for Infrastructure-as-a-Service, as establishing internal enterprise tools is most conducive with IaaS. This particular cloud service is also the most likely to be duplicated within one enterprise, as companies are more apt to hire multiple IaaS providers than any of the other services, the source added.
Finally, the website urges enterprises considering adopting IaaS, PaaS and SaaS to work to apply as many of their internally developed management practices and tools to whichever cloud architecture they choose, as it would be the best method for ensuring continuity within the business through the adopting of entirely new IT operations and technology.
Enterprises are expected to adopt cloud-based services and practices at a rapid pace in the coming years. The International Data Corporation projects the cloud to grow from a 600,000 unit, $3.8 billion industry in 2010 to more than 1.3 million units and $6.4 billion by 2014.
-McAfee Cloud Security
